It took seven innings for Meadowdale to get a runner on third base. It then took just one more batter to end the game.

Colton Witsman, pinch running for Parker Coffey, scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead Meadowdale to a 1-0 victory in a non-league baseball game Friday at Meadowdale High School.

Coffey roped a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh and Witsman pinch-ran for him. Kamiak pitcher Jordan Bettencourt struck out Dakota Barlament for the second out, but on the knockout pitch, Witsman stole second. Bettencourt got called for his second balk of the game (allowing Witsman to advance to third base) before throwing a single pitch to Jacob Hunnewell that went in the dirt. As catcher Jacob Long struggled to find the ball, Witsman started for home and then hesitated. Finally, Long saw the ball 10 feet behind him and went for it; at the same time, Witsman broke for home. Long tossed the ball to Bettencourt, but Witsman managed to slide under his tag, ending the game.

Elliott Reece started the game for the Mavs and gave up only three hits while striking out 10. He was replaced in the seventh by Matt Hill, who retired the only three batters he faced, which earned him the win. Bettencourt gave up just two hits the entire game and one walk, but two balks and a wild pitch ended up being his downfall in the loss. The game lasted around an hour and fifteen minutes, and only seven batters reached base. Only two got to second base, and only one player scored.

Reece began the game striking out Bettencourt and Alex Pettibone and then got Geoffery Lee to ground out to end the inning. Bettencourt had a similarly strong start: he struck out Phil Thomas and then got Kenley Ackerman and Parker Coffey to ground out. Reece struck out two more batters in the top of the second in another easy 1-2-3 inning. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Justin Ridley got on base with an infield single. He advanced to second when Bettencourt balked and the Mavs were threatening. Bettencourt induced a flyout from Garrett Walsh to end the threat, and the second inning.

Kamiak got their first baserunner of the game when KeVaughn Escobar-Umayam hit a leadoff single. On the first pitch of Josh Tremain’s at-bat, catcher Coffey picked off Escobar-Umayam at first base for the first out. Reece struck Tremain out but Nathan Schubert got on board with an infield single of his own. However, Bettencourt struck out for the second time in the game to end the top of the third. Bettencourt got his revenge in the bottom of the third by retiring the Mavs 1-2-3. Long got the only extra-base hit of the ballgame with two outs in the top of the fourth when he roped a double down the left field line. However, he got caught stealing third by Coffey, and the threat ended. The Mavs once again were sent down quietly in the bottom of the fifth.

Reece continued to rack up K’s, with two more coming in the fifth as he retired the Knights 1-2-3. Hunnewell got on base to start the bottom of the fifth with a walk and then Ridley hit a soft line into the 1B-2B gap. Pettibone dove for the ball and dropped it. However, Hunnewell thought he caught it, and went back to first. Pettibone forced Hunnewell out at second, but Ridley was on first after the play. Walsh came up and lined a bullet straight to shortstop Lee, who then threw back to first to double up Ridley to end the bottom of the fifth. Reece got the first two Knights out by flyout and then struck out Bettencourt for the third and final time to end the top of the sixth. Bettencourt thwarted any Maverick offense by inducing two groundouts and got a strikeout in the bottom of the sixth, and the game went into the seventh and final inning with the game still tied at 0-0.

Hill came in to replace Reece in the top of the seventh and had to face the 2-3-4 hitters, the toughest part of a lineup. Hill mowed them down. He got Pettibone to ground out, and then struck out Lee and Long to end the inning.

With the win, the Mavericks improve to 4-2 overall. Their next game is on Tuesday at home vs.Shorecrest at 4 p.m. The Knights fell to 3-3 and play again Tuesday at Jackson at 4 p.m.

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